Puerto Rican Sancocho

Name: Puerto Rican Sancocho
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 2 h 20 min
Total time: 3 h
Cuisine: American, Latin American, Caribbean
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 5 cloves garlic, chopped; 3 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped; ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper; 1 pinch dried oregano; salt to taste; 1 ½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into small pieces; water to cover; ½ (6.5 ounce) can tomato sauce; 2 cubes beef bouillon; 1 cup 1 1/2-inch cut fresh green beans; 2 carrots, peeled and sliced; ⅓ cup chopped celery; 1 large chayote squash - peeled, cored, and sliced lengthwise; 1 (15.5 ounce) can small white beans, rinsed and drained; ½ head cabbage, chopped; 1 green banana, peeled and sliced into 3/4-inch pieces; 1 yellow plantain, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces; 5 large llautias (yautias), peeled and quartered; 6 potatoes, peeled and quartered; ½ cup chopped peeled pumpkin; 2 ears fresh corn, sliced into 6 pieces each; ⅓ cup chopped green bell pepper

Instructions

Prep:40minCook:2h 20min

This is my mom's Puerto Rican comfort soup. The mix of vegetables and herbs is an influence of the Spanish Canary Island ancestors of some Puerto Rican families. The soup was adjusted to the vegetables available in Puerto Rico by the addition of corn and pumpkin. In the Canary Islands of the 1700s, corn was only fed to farm animals! In Puerto Rico, some cooks now add ginger root, chile pepper, cumin, and other ingredients but I believe it destroys the original rich natural vegetable taste. Similar Spanish sancocho recipes were passed on to other Spanish colonies such as Columbia. Serve hot with bread to soak up the delicious flavor.

Updated at: Tue, 17 May 2022 04:07:28 GMT